


It Was Christmas in Las Vegas

by greggodna (perrosguirec)



Series: The 12 Prompts of Christmas 2020 [2]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Angst, M/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28095126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perrosguirec/pseuds/greggodna
Summary: 12 Prompts of Christmas, Prompt #2: Holiday SongsHoliday songs don't always evoke the most pleasant of memories.
Relationships: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Series: The 12 Prompts of Christmas 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056686
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	It Was Christmas in Las Vegas

“Hey,” Nick’s voice startled Greg. He turned to see Nick in the doorway of the locker room and immediately noticed the dark circles beneath Nick’s eyes.

“Hey,” Greg responded. “You okay?”

Nick nodded and stepped closer. “Will you drive home? I’m beat,” he said and handed Greg the keys to his truck.

“You look it. You sure you’re okay? Tough case?”

Nick leaned against the bank of lockers and closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m fine.”

Greg wasn’t convinced but decided not to push him for the time being. He shut his locker and poked Nick in the arm. “Well, c’mon. I’m not strong enough to carry you to the truck.”

Nick snorted and shuffled after Greg. They made it out to the truck and Greg slid behind the wheel and fiddled with the temperature controls while Nick got in the passenger seat. December in Vegas was chilly and despite knowing better, Greg always thought it was weird that the desert could be so cold. They didn’t say much as they waited for the truck to heat up. Greg glanced at Nick and he frowned at how exhausted he looked. He reached over and cupped Nick’s face, his thumb gently brushing across his cheek. Nick’s eyes met his and he smiled softly. Greg returned the smile and pulled out of the parking lot.

Normally, he would have switched the radio station to anything other than country just to annoy Nick, but this time he left it on the country station Nick loved so much. It was playing Christmas music, anyway. He could tolerate that. The last notes of “Blue Christmas” were fading and it transitioned into a song Greg had never heard before.

_It was Christmas in Las Vegas, when the locals take the town…_

Greg was concentrating on the road but out of the corner of his eye he saw Nick stiffen. “Turn it off,” he said quietly.

Greg glanced at him. “What? Why? You usually complain about me changing the station.”

“Turn it off!”

Greg quickly switched it off. “Okay, okay. What’s wrong?” He glanced at him again and almost pulled over when he saw how white Nick was. “Nick?” he tried again. “Nicky, talk to me.”

“I just want to get home,” Nick finally said tersely.

Greg glanced at him again but Nick had turned his head away. He wanted to reach out and take his hand but Nick’s posture warned against it. They rode in silence the rest of the way home and when Greg pulled into their garage Nick jumped out without a word. Greg followed him into the house and watched him move around the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”

“I’m fine. Just tired.” Nick said, refusing to look at him and instead filling up a glass with water.

“No. Don’t brush me off. Nicky, what’s going on?”

Nick stared down at the glass in his hand. Greg thought he was going to say something but instead Nick set the glass down and walked past him. “Greg, I told you it’s nothing. Just drop it. I’m gonna take a shower.”

Greg followed him to their bedroom. “Fine. Don’t talk to me.”

Nick turned to him but wouldn’t meet his eyes. Greg kept his eyes on Nick until he disappeared into their bathroom. Then he huffed and began to undress. He got into bed and turned onto his side to stare at the wall. Nick’s reluctance to share his issues with Greg had caused more than one argument over the years. Nick seemed to be a magnet for traumatic events. If work didn’t dredge up unpleasant memories it gave him new nightmares to deal with. Each time, Nick would go to a session or two of therapy and each time he would swear he didn’t need it. Greg tried his best to help Nick through things but he knew he wasn’t enough.

Soon enough, the door to the bathroom opened. Greg stayed facing the wall but listened as Nick went through his usual bedtime routine. Eventually, Nick pulled back covers and slid close to Greg, but he stopped short of touching him. Greg could feel the heat from Nick’s body and he longed to turn over and into Nick’s arms but he was still upset. In the end, it didn’t matter because Nick closed the distance between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said against Greg’s neck. “That song… it was playing on the radio on the way to the crime scene that night. And I…” he laughed humorously, “I even sang it while I was in that… that box. Trying not to go insane.”

His arm slid around Greg’s waist and he pulled him flush against his body. Greg could feel him start to shake and he finally turned in Nick’s arms to face him. Greg touched their foreheads together and let Nick cry. He fought to keep his own emotions in check as he tried to form a response.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Greg said.

“I know.”

“I need you to talk to me about these things. Or if you won’t talk to me maybe you need to find someone,” he began.

Nick pulled away and his eyes flashed. “I went to the mandated sessions. I talked about what happened. It didn’t help. There wasn’t anything they could do to help me. I was buried alive and then I was rescued. What more could I have to say?”

Greg stopped him from completely breaking their embrace. “Fine, but then I need you to talk to me about certain things. Like today. Don’t shut me out and pretend like nothing’s wrong.”

Nick settled back in Greg’s arms with a sigh. “You’re right.”

Greg wasn’t sure if this conversation would change anything but he didn’t push the issue. Nick’s recovery from his abduction had been hard on them both and months later he was still affected. He was convinced he was fully recovered from the incident but Greg knew better. All he could do was hold him close and hope that the memories that stupid song had evoked wouldn’t lead to another nightmare. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote angst?!
> 
> Song lyrics refer to Bob Neuwirth's "Lucky Too," which was featured in the Grave Danger episodes.
> 
> come find me on tumblr @greggodna


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